This is especially the case if the patients are young, have multiple blocks
& have conditions that may make angioplasty to implant drug-eluting
stents ineffective
17 th March 2023: At a time when coronary diseases are on the rise in India and
globally, special drug-coated balloons are emerging as a better alternative to stents
in a variety of coronary artery diseases, according to two renowned Italian
cardiologists. This is especially the case if the patients are young, have multiple
blocks, and have conditions that may make angioplasty to implant drug-eluting
stents ineffective.
Dr Bernardo Cortese, Director of Cardiac Cath Lab and Interventional Cardiology at
Clinical San Carlo in Milan and Prof Antonio Colombo, Director of Humanitas
Research Hospital in Milan are in India for a series of workshops and educational
sessions on the drug-coated balloon technique for percutaneous coronary
intervention in hospitals across India.
Speaking at an educational session on “DCB in PCI – Current Concept & Future”
organised by leading medical devices company Concept Medical and C3 Research
Foundation in Chennai, the two experts from Italy went into deep detail about drug-
coated balloons, a relatively new concept in treating coronary artery diseases. The
session was attended by the city’s top interventional cardiologists as well as medical
students.
“Drug-coated balloons are emerging as an alternative to stents in several coronary
artery disease cases. This includes when a patient has multiple blockages in the
arteries or when a longer stent is required,” said Prof Colombo.
In his presentation, Dr Cortese, who oversaw an academic clinical programme that
included several international studies, spoke about the latest results of the largest
drug-coated balloon registry data.
“Instead of inserting a stent at the site of the disease, the drug is released through
the mechanism that holds the arteries together and ensures blood flow. Such
balloons can be used for up to 70% of procedures in expert hands, but no less than
40%,” Dr Cortese said.
“The revolutionary technique involving drug and carrier complex is designed to reach
the inner layers of the vessel walls and act as a reservoir for the long-term release of
medicine that prevents re-narrowing of the coronary artery,” said Dr Manish
Doshi, MD – Concept Medical & Inventor – World’s First Sirolimus Drug
Coated Balloon.
